Taken to Far
by Otakugirl08X
Summary: Pre-Thor (2011). Loki/Thor. One of Loki's pranks is taken to far
1. Chapter 1

Loki stared at himself in the mirror of his private chambers, but it was not his reflection that stared back at him. Insted he gazed upon a women nearly a foot shorter then his usual height with striking blue-green eyes and hair as dark as Hugin and Munins' wings. The glamour shivered and fell away reveling his true form underneath. A mischevious grin broke across his face and he had to hold back a bout of giggles.

_This was going to be priceless_, he thought.

With a flash of green light Loki changed himself back into a woman. He felt the tingle of the glamour settle into shape around him and turned in front of the mirror. For the last ten minutes he'd been perfecting this particular disguse. He intended to play a little prank on Thor in retaliation for his brother's teasing.

It had all begun much earlier in the day in the training grounds. Thor has insisted that Loki join him, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif for some sparing. He prefered solitute to pactice his aim, and spells to swords, but he was never one to decline his brother and had joined them. It had begun well enough. Thor and Hogun had wrestled and had at each otherwith clubs and mace. Than Fendral and Lady Sif had a spirited and rather entertaining dual full of swift parries and innuendious remarks (on Fandral'spart). By this point Volstagg was into the drink and begged off his turn leaving Loki without a patner which suited him fine, but his reluctence to take his turn had the predictable result. Fandral and the drunken Volstagg had jibbed and jeared at him while Thor laughed in amusement and offered a shallow deffence of his younger brother. Loki had feigned merriement and took their mocking with the false good humour that he often affected. But then Lady Sif, never one to care for Loki, had decried how he would make a much better woman then a Prince if only he were prettier.

Loki's embasrassment had burned hot in his checks as his fury burned cold within. Thor's laughter had sent him off to his rooms to do what Thor called sulking, and what Loki termed ploting.

Thor had come to his rooms hours later and apologized for his amusesment at Loki's dispense. He had made excusses for Lady Sif and his comrades; swearing false oaths of how she regretted her comment. He tried to persuade Loki to come and drink and feast with them, but he had declined this time. When Thor finally relented and left his chambers for the tavern an idea, a scheme, had come to Loki. He had long accepted Lady Sif's enviousness and dislike of him but Thor's sport at his expense had irked him greatly. He would get even with his broher in the way he best knew how. He would craft a trick to make Thor look the fool infront of him.

Loki turned again to view his disguse in the mirror. He had long ago mastered how to change shape and take on the apperance of others but this glamour was different then his usual ones. He couldn't risk taking on the apperance of someone that others might recognize. He also didn't know that many women other then Lady Sif, his mother and Frigga's haindmaidens. He couldn't recall well enough any of the female servents to take on their apperance convincingly. No, this glamour was different. He had not stolen the apperance of another but changed his own to suit his plot. The woman who looked out of the mirror at him was him, if he had been born a woman.

_Yes_, Thought Loki, _ This is going to be fun!_

With that thought Loki turned and left his chambers and headed out of the palace; toward the tavern that Thor and the three fools frequented.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of voices raised in drunken song spilled out of the tavern and into the quite of Asgard's night. Within, Thor sat amid several Einherjar, the Warriors Three and Sif leading them all (exsept Hogun) in a rowdy chorus of some ancient ballad to the hounored dead. Seveal young maidens acompanied the gathering of warriors; Fandral had one on each knee and Valstagg, now very drunk, was sitting on the lap of an extremly buxom wench with red hair.

The table was full of now empty mead jugs and half eaten food. The song ended and Thor raised his mug and downed the remaining contents, "ANOTHER!" Called Thor, as he slamed the veasal onto the table causing empty cups and bowls to fall over. His face was split by a wide grin as a wench came with another jug of mead.

Loki, in his disguse, watched him from across the tavern. He'd been here for nearly half and hour and had yet to catch Thor's attention. Though Sif sat next to him, and he was surrounded my maidens Thor made no indication that he cared for female company tonight; he sang, and joked, and laughted, and drank; getting drunker as the night worn on. Loki need's Thor's attention for his prank to work and just sitting here was not going to do that.

He _had_ managed to attract the attention of several _other_ men in the tavern since his arrival though. Several had offered him drinks, and one had attempted to engage him in drunken conversation. With his scheme not progressing and everything he disliked about drinking in taverns with Thor (noise, bad drink, druken dullards ) being magnified by his guised apperance he was sorely tempted to simply change all the food and drink on Thor's table into snakes and leave.

Thor downed another mug of mead and laughed at the bawdy joke Valstagg had just told. "Norns, Valstagg - my friend!" Thor said, "your jests are more foul then Jotun breath! Have you no decency?! There are young maidens at hand!" Thor gestured around them with his mug of mead, smile wide. His words caused the rest of their assembled group to laught loudly as well (except Hogun).

Thor reached for the mead jug only to find that this one too was now empty. "Blast!" He cried. Slamming the container down and causing it to shatter in his hand. There was a pause among them, shocked scilence caused by the sudden shattering of pottery. Thor looked at the clay handle which he now held and began to chuckle. Soon the whole table was laughing.

When the laughter finally died down Fandral rose, "I think I shall take my leave of you my good and noble friends," He said. "Any more drink and my lovely companions here may become disappointed in me latter." With that Fandral departed, taking both the maidens who had been sitting on his knees with him.

Sif stood also, she finished her drink and made her good nights as well.

Several of the Einherjar who had been drinking with them also took their leave, and more of the the maidens followed them.

That's when Thor's eyes were drawn to another pair across the room. Sitting across from him, now visible in the place vacated by an Einhejar, was a woman with long swept back black hair. Something thrumed inside him at the sight of her.


	3. Chapter 3

When he had departed from the palace this evening Thor had not intended to seek company for the night other than that of his shield brothers and the Lady Sif. His brother's refusal to join them had sent him away with a heavy heart . He knew he should not have laughed at Loki's expense, and should have chastised Sif for her comment immediately. Their father was always telling him that he let his companions be to free in their speech. Thor was the crown Prince of Asgard he should not have let a Shield Maiden mock his brother so. The All-Father was continually reminding Thor that he must behave like the King he would be; that meant defending the honor of his house.

Loki's flat refusal to join him had confirmed that his brother's pride had been wounded deeply. Even when annoyed with Thor and his companions (which was often) Loki could be persuaded into accompanying him to the tavern if only for an hour or two.

Because of the heaviness in his heart from failing in his duty to his brother he had taken to drink tonight with great enthusiasm and had drunken more than his usual.

The night had grown old and his companions where departing, only Volstagg remained; though the bearded warrior had drunken even more than Thor. They had engaged in a contest earlier for who could drink the most ale the quickest. Volstagg had won and Thor had been forced to order sweet mead for his fellows.

Thor lifted a jug of mead left sitting on the table and found it empty. Without his companions to share more drink didn't appeal to him.

_Perhaps it is time I returned? He thought_. _If I am not fit in the morning Father will be displeased and Loki even more sour than he was tonight. _Odin would lecture and despair for him as a King, but it was always his brother's exasperated sigh and disappointed stare that caused Thor the greater shame.

Mind decided Thor leaned across the table and gave the now dozing Volstagg's shoulder a shake.

"Volstagg, my friend. Wake and go home!"

The bearded Aesir gave a start as he came fully awake and nearly fell from red-haired wench's lap.

realizing that their night's revelry was over Volstagg heaved himself off the woman's lap, gave Thor a drunken hug from over the table and departed with the red heads help.

preparing to rise and leave Thor glanced a woman sitting at a table across the room from him. He froze. A strange feeling went through him like lighting called down with Mjolnir. Suddenly his heart speed up and his breath came quicker. If not for being in Asgard, in the very shadow of the palace,Thor would have felt like he was about to face battle.

Her _eyes_.

Something about her _eyes_. He could not put a word to it, but they held him in place.

He had never seen her before he was certain. He would have remembered this woman. Her hair was even darker the Sif's, raven black; skin pale like fine porcelain. She wore a dark green dress with a golden chain around her neck.

He realized he was staring, and that she was staring back. Watching him.

Then, she blinked and looked away.

* * *

Loki had to turn his head or risk laughter. The _LOOK_ on Thor's face was worth all the time he had wasted sitting here. His brother looked like he'd been struck dumb (or dumber)! There had been a moment when their eyes had met that he had thought his disguise had not worked. There had been an instant where he thought he had seen recognition in Thors' eyes but it had been only an instant. His glamour was holding and Thor did not know him.

He looked back to see Thor rising. Clearly intent on him.

_Now. The game begins._

* * *

The moment her gaze left him Thor stood and moved to sit at the woman's table. She turned to him again as he crossed the tavern. A strange anxious giddiness filled him as he approached her, he dismissed it as being to much drink.

"Hello. My I sit?" He gave her is best 'Future King' smile.

She stared at him. A small smile sliding across her lips. "Far be it for _me_ to tell a Prince where he may or may not sit." She made a small elegant gesture with her hand indicating the seat opposite her.

Thor took the chair indicated. Despite her words he felt like he'd just been granted an audience with a queen (he'd seen his mother make the same gesture when she greeted important ambassadors and dignitaries from other realms).

She stared at him in silence. The small smile slowly growing. Filling her eyes with something that made them sharp and shiny. Uncharacteristic nervousness began to creep into him. He found it difficult to hold her gaze. His breath seemed to become labored if he did.

"Umm...My I ask your name - Lady?"

She remained silent for a beat. Then, "Brigund."

"I am Th-," he began. She cut him off with a quite chuckle. It was rich and throaty. " I know who you are - _highness_. Everyone here, nay, everyone in Asgard knows who you are." Her voice was silky.

He looked down for want of anything to say to her obvious words. On the table in front of her was an empty pewter wine-cup.

"would you like some more wine?"

"It's not very good," she replied. "Not worth drinking. It's almost vinegar really. They should be fined for selling it."

"Then perhaps some mead?" He wanted her to take a drink with him, if only to force her not to leave for the moment.

* * *

Loki was congratulating himself on not falling into a hysterical fit. Thor had always been more confident and successful with gaining the attention of women then he, but now his brother was nearly blushing! Seated across from him awkwardly asking him if he wanted a drink!

He considered dropping the glamour and teasing his brother on his awkwardness with wooing a woman. He could inquire about the veracity of Thor's tales of conquest and laugh all the way back to his chambers.

But, Thor was his brother and a Prince of Asgard. This tavern was not the place to make merry at his expense. He wanted his brother's pride stung like his own had been; not mocked in public.

He would have to keep his disguise until he could find some way to get Thor to leave with him.


End file.
